W. Golding Lord of the Flies. Ralph and Jack: opposition of wills: Who wins
Some words about W. Golding William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Cornwall, England. Although he tried to write a novel as early as age twelve, his parents urged him to study the natural sciences. Golding followed his parents’ wishes until his second year at Oxford, when he changed his focus to English literature. After graduating from Oxford, he worked briefly as a theater actor and director, wrote poetry, and then became a schoolteacher. In 1940, a year after England entered World War II, Golding joined the Royal Navy, where he served in command of a rocket-launcher and participated in the invasion of Normandy.
Golding’s experience in World War II had a profound effect on his view of humanity and the evils of which it was capable. After the war, Golding resumed teaching and started to write novels. His first and greatest success came with Lord of the Flies (1954), which ultimately became a bestseller in both Britain and the United States after more than twenty publishers rejected it. The novel’s sales enabled Golding to retire from teaching and devote himself fully to writing. Golding wrote several more novels, notably Pincher Martin (1956), and a play, The Brass Butterfly (1958). Although he never matched the popular and critical success he enjoyed with Lord of the Flies, he remained a respected and distinguished author for the rest of his life and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. Golding died in 1993, one of the most acclaimed writers of the second half of the twentieth century.
Lord of the flies Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a war. Though the novel is fictional, its exploration of the idea of human evil is at least partly based on Golding’s experience with the real-life violence and brutality of World War II.
Lord of the flies
Settings The Lord of the Flies takes place on an island during World War II. This is significant since the isolation forms a sort of civilization and community, a sort of microcosm to the real world. At the same time, the island lacks a society and the societal laws and rules allowing for the boys to run wild and show their true, ugly, inner selves.
The opposition of wills Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the boys on the island descend into savagery. As the boys splinter into factions, some behave peacefully and work together to maintain order and achieve common goals…
Ralph Simon
...while others rebel and seek only anarchy and violence CHOIR jack hunters
Major conflict Ralph vs. Jack Ralph represents order and composure in society. Eventually Jack grew tired of Ralph being in charge. He let the barbarism inside of him transform him into a savage-like creature and he went on a rampage, destroying the makeshift civilization the boys worked so hard to create.
Ralph Ralph's name is derived from the Old English word for "wolf council," symbolizing Ralph's role as a leader who forms meetings and councils on the island.
Ralph The protagonist of Lord of the Flies. He is 12 years old, tall, blond, and attractive. He is the most charismatic of the group. He is described as being built “like a boxer”, and is initially chosen as leader due to his many positive qualities. Throughout the novel Ralph tries to establish order and focus on rescue. He decides that a boy can only speak at the meetings if he is holding the conch shell. He wants to keep the fire on the mountain going so that is a plane passes, the boys can be saved. He also encourages the boys to build huts.
QUOTE about RALPH “… By now, Ralph had no self-consciousness in public thinking but would treat the day’s decisions as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good chess player…”
jack Jack's name is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob or Yakov, which literally means "supplanter" or "one who takes over", just as Jack took the role of leadership by force from Ralph.
jack The antagonist of Lord of the Flies. He is tall, redheaded, and emerges as the leader of the choir boys. When Ralph becomes the initial leader, Jack becomes upset, for he wanted that position but instead becomes the leader of the "hunters." Jack leads the boys from civilized young men into savages through the novel. He is malicious and animalistic.
Memorable quotes ’I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” This shows the early signs of the tension between Jack and Ralph, and it also shows Jack’s pride. “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” These expresses the increasing intensity of the boys’ savagery. “It was dark. there was that -- that bloody dance. There was lightning and thunder and rain. We was scared!” This describes how the boys’ have gone beyond the point of fun and games. They are no longer boys playing on the island but a bunch of savages.
"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.”"He [Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling." "I painted my face - I stole up. Now you eat - all of you - and I – “."'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!'
Who wins? In the end of the story we see that the camp of Evil has won. Ralph is trying to save his own life. Jack and his gang are prosecuting for him. But is it a victory? I think it is not. To win in this situation is impossible.
The "beast" is a symbol of brutality, propaganda, and irrational fears, as it causes panic and ultimately allies the boys around Jack. The fact that there is no beast suggests that it is a representation of the evil in human nature. Jack is a face of an evil in the novel. But evil can’t win.
The conch is a symbol of democracy, order and kind on the island, but now it’s broken. That’s why last hopes of Ralph are broken too. Despite this fact Ralph found the help from adults. He didn’t win too, because he understood that he has lost a lot of things, e.g. his childhood and naivety.